My English setter puppies only come to me when they want to, not when I want them to, most times. I decided to start them on heel, whoa and here. I heeled them from the kennel east to the road then across the yard to the north then back to the chain gang west of the dog pens. This loop is about 4 tenths of a mile according to the app on my phone. I heeled them for a ways then stopped. It will be a few days before I tell them heel and whoa.
Tur Bo, Sally, Mann and Babe on the chain gang.
Tur Bo after the pigeon has flown.
Sally pointing a pigeon.
There is a shooting range, with rifle, pistol, skeet and trap, in a county park near my house. There is a road just east of it that I like to take the pups when there is a lot of shooting going on. The closest I can get to the shooting range is about 800 yards but this gives the puppies a little taste of being shot around. When I first got Sally, the first time or two she went down this road I could tell she didn’t like the shooting. After a few trips she was okay. I think this helps on getting them used to being shot around.
I took Babe down the road for about half a mile. It was an off and on rainy day so there wasn’t many shooters but what few we heard didn’t bother Babe at all. I had heeled her down the road and stopped a few times. On the way out I grabbed a short check cord she was dragging, called, “here” and drug her to me. I did that 4 or 5 times. I loaded her up and took her back to the kennel.
Mann and I loaded up and went to the park. I heeled him down the road a ways stopping several times. I turned him loose to run. We got all the way to the back and it started to rain. There had been a little bit of shooting but I knew with the rain, most people wouldn’t be shooting, so we started back to the truck. We hadn’t gone far when it really started to come down. Big, cold drops of rain. Mann was out front of me. He turned around and barked at me. It was kind of like, “dumbass you should have known this would happen”. We were real wet by the time we got to the truck but he didn’t hold it against me. He was fine this morning.
This morning I heeled Babe to the road on the east then north across the yard then back to the chain gang. I would stop every once in a while. I put her on the retrieving bench and petted her for a while. I use the retrieving bench as a loving bench more than a retrieving bench. I then put her on the chain gang.
I heeled Mann around the yard and back to the retrieving bench. I petted him for a while then put him on the chain gang.
I brought Sally and Tur Bo down and put them on the chain gang. They should know heel and whoa. Most times they do. I hid three pigeons on the training grounds. I put a pigeon to sleep close to the chain gang. All 4 dogs watched it until I woke it up and let it fly away.
I turned Sally loose and followed her on the 4-wheeler. She hasn’t been moving on her birds so I didn’t put a check cord on her. She did have e-collars around her neck and flanks. She pointed the first pigeon, at the back, on my side of the training grounds. I took pictures then walked in front of her kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. She didn’t move. I heeled her away.
I had a frozen quail with me and held it in front of her nose and told her to fetch. She took the quail and held it until I said give. I tossed it a few feet in front of her and told her to fetch. She trotted to it and brought it back. The third time I threw it I must have thrown it too far. She went about half way and came back without the quail. I held the button on the e-collar around her neck down on low 2. I walked part of the way with her and when she reached for the quail I let off the button on the transmitter. I returned to where I had thrown the quail from. She brought it to me and dropped it when I said give. I heeled her away and released her to hunt.
Tur Bo
She pointed the next two pigeons and we worked on the retrieving after flushing the pigeons. As long as I make short throws she is good. If I throw the quail just a little farther she goes part way then comes back. I’ll keep working her on this. I need some retrieving bird dogs. I took her back to the kennel.
I reloaded the release traps and turned Tur Bo loose. He pointed his first bird and I pushed the stake into the ground and tied the check cord to it. I took pictures then walked in front of him kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and he never moved. I heeled him away.
I put him on whoa and threw a frozen quail for him. He dashed out, scooped up the quail and came back. I never taught him to sit but he always sits, holding the quail until I tell him to give. I threw the quail three times and he retrieved it each time. I heeled him a few yards and released him to hunt.
He pointed his next pigeon and I forgot to put the stake in the ground and tie the check cord to it. I took pictures, walked in front of him kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. He didn’t move. I heeled him away.
I put him on whoa and threw the frozen quail. (A note about the frozen quail. I’ve read that dogs don’t like other dogs drool. I wouldn’t. I reuse these frozen quail and mark which dog has used it on the bag I freeze the bird in.) Tur Bo raced out, grabbed the quail and ran back. He sat holding the quail. He dropped it in my hand when I said, “give”. I threw the quail three times then heeled him away. I released him to hunt.
Sally
I remembered to push the stake in the ground and tie the check cord on the next bird and it was a good thing. He pointed and I went in front of him kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and it hit a limb or something and fluttered around trying to get away. Tur Bo wanted to catch him but the check cord stopped him. I tie the check cord real close behind him so he doesn’t have much room to move. I set him back and kicked the cover some more. I heeled him away.
I threw the frozen quail for him three times. He retrieved each time with no problems. I’ve started throwing the quail in the clumps of brush for Tur Bo. He uses his nose to find them and brings them back. He seems to enjoy retrieving now. I hope so. I took him back to the kennel.
Babe and Mann had been on the chain gang all this time. I reloaded the release traps and heeled Babe closer to the bird field. We walked a few yards then stopped. After several stops I turned her loose to hunt. I had the pigeon hidden all the way to the back on my side. She checked almost every spot I have ever hid a bird for her on the way down. She hit the scent cone and went on point. Almost immediately she went down and backed away. At her first movement I flushed the pigeon. She chased the bird a short distance. We went on to the neighbor’s side.
She was still hunting good. She hit the scent cone on the bird at the back and went on point. This time she held her point for maybe 20 seconds. This bird was on a fence row and she went toward the bird. As soon as she moved I flushed the bird. She chased for a ways then went back to hunting.
Babe watching the pigeons.
She hit the scent cone on the next bird and tried to put me between her and the bird. She circled around behind me. I would move and she would stay behind me. I picked her up and set her close where she couldn’t help but smell the bird. I stroked her sides and brushed her tail up. I told her what a good girl she is. She stayed as long as I stroked her. She doesn’t show any fear. I stepped away and she didn’t move. I stroked her some more and flushed the pigeon. The pigeon flew to a limb right above the release trap and she went into the clump to catch the bird. I let her try for a few minutes then took her back to the chain gang.
I reloaded the release traps and heeled Mann back closer to the bird field. He was way ahead of me when he went on point at the back of my place. As I walked to him I kept an eye on him. I was still fifty yards from him when he took a step. I flushed the pigeon and he chased then went back to hunting.
We went to the neighbor’s side. He went to the back, checking all of the cover on the way. He hit the scent cone and locked up. I took some pictures and watched him. After about a minute I walked in front of him kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon at his first movement and he chased then went back to hunting.
The next pigeon was hard for him because there was very little wind. I like to be able to tell the dogs to, “look in here”, and have them find a bird. Finally, he smelled the bird and went on point. He must not have got a very good scent because his tail is usually straight. This time it was bent. After about a minute I kicked the brush one time and flushed the pigeon. He chased then went back to hunting.
I let Babe and Mann play for a while before putting them back in the kennel. Babe, some of the time, acts like she is coming out of what ever her problem is. I don’t think she’s bird shy. She tries hard to find the birds. I don’t think the traps scare her. I’ve put them near her run in the kennel and released them and she shows no fear. I think she wants to do something after she points. Whatever it is I’ve always said that anything can be cured with enough birds. I have birds and I have the time.
Sally pointing a pigeon.
Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.
Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.